Storm
by Avery
Summary: Ducks get Stuck.
1. Part 1

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 1  
Crack!  
The sound echoed across the valley. Ivy Kassal looked up from where she was   
working in her garden.  
'Another storm.' She thought. 'So many lately.' she brushed off her jeans and   
stood up. "Monica! Derek! Ollie! Another storm's coming. Time to come inside!"  
She looked up at the dark clouds gathered at the horizon, and a cool breeze   
smelling of the rain to come slid past her nostrils. She shivered, and cast a   
last look at the sky before heading in.  
* * * * * * * * * *  
Nosedive looked out the window of the Areowing at the rain pouring down. He was   
tired. They were heading back to Anihiem after a game in Chicago. He turned away   
from the window. Avery and Mallory were teaseing Duke, and Grin was meditating   
or something. In the front, Tanya and Wildwing were locked in conversation. He   
strained to hear some of the words. "Getting worse. . . . . " He caught. ". . .   
. dangerous. . . . might hafta. . . . . coming down hard. . . . . .radio." The   
radio switched on, to low to hear, then off again.  
"Dangerous?" He thought. "I wonder. . . " His train of thought jumped the track   
as Tanya called back to them.  
"Hey guys? Seems we have a teeney-weeney problem." The team turned to stare at   
her. " It's the storm. It's getting worse. We're gonna hafta land. I'm   
contacting the nearest airport to see if we can land there." Everyone nodded.  
"In fact, I think I just found someone. Looks like we'll be touching down soon.   
. . . . ."  
* * * * * * * * * *  
The Areowing came in for a smooth landing. Rain poured down in sheets. Mallory   
stepped out onto the wet pavement of the small air port runway. She looked up   
into the sky, and promptlely got water in her eyes. 'Ugh' she thought. 'What   
awful weather.' The rest of the team stepped out behind her.  
"Stuck! Stuck I say, in the middle of dullsville! What'm I gonna do!" Wailed   
Dive. Wing nudged him. "Quiet, bro. Someone's coming."  
A Lone figure ran towards them. He was a middle aged man,with graying red hair   
and brown eyes. He took Wing's hand and shook it vigoriosly. " The Mighty Ducks!   
Please let me introduce myself! Nathan Fergeson, at your service! Wow! The   
Mighty Ducks! Amazing! It is an honor to hav eyou in our small but humble town,   
not to metion an honor to me! I remeber back in 65 when I met the president!   
Kinda like this! If there's anything just let me know and i'll. . . . "  
"Well," interupted Wildwing. "First: do you know where we could find a good   
hotel?"  
"Oh yes! A wonderful place! Practicly right next door! The most luxirios we   
have! A wonderful place! Really! Truely! Why if I had the money I'd go over   
there right now and. . " Wildwing stopped him before he could start babbleing   
again.  
"Second: Could I have my hand back?"  
The man, reealizing that he still had it, dropped it seepishly.  
"Anyway, you said there was a hotel nearby? Where is it?"  
Nathan seemed to brighten again. "Oh, right this way! Oh, isn't this grand!I   
never thought I'd meet the Mighty Ducks, lrt alone be leading them out of the   
cold and rain! Oh Joy, oh rapture. . . . "  
His voice faded of into the rain as he lead the ducks to the hotel.  



	2. Part 2

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Storm II  
Mallory stared out the glass windows at the school yard beyond. She was worried.   
when they had arrived at the hotel, it had began to rain even harder than it had   
before. they had gotten inside just in time. She had taken a shower and was   
drying her hair, in this very spot, actually, when she saw someone outside,   
watching her window from a distance. she'd ran outside at them, but they'd   
already taken off. It had been very weird. And now, she had the odd feeling that   
there was eyes on her. Very weird.  
She scanned the hedge lining the hotel, nothing there 'Unfortunately', she   
caught herself thinking. She smiled. 'They'd never live if I did catch them   
there.'  
She turned away from the window, running her fingers through her hair. A peal of   
thunder sounded across the sky, catching her off guard. 'Mal', she chided.   
'You're being silly.' But she nervously looked at the window again, before   
sliding under the covers. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the   
room. She shivered. She really was scared. This was irrational.  
But, then again, she'd always been told to trust her instincts. . . . . . Maybe   
she'd just sleep wiith the lights on. Yeah. Comforted, she slid under the cover,   
and turned the lamp on. Now she'd go to sleep. She didn't get a chance to.  
The lights went out.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
Duke threw a pillow at Avery playfully. "Go. To. Sleep." He growled. She sighed   
and threw up her hands.  
"I can't."   
He threw up his, mocking her. She looked at him disdainfully. "Why not?"  
She sighed again. "Duke, you ever get that feeling that something really, really   
bad is going to happen, and soon?"  
He shrugged. "Sure."  
"Well, I feel that way. And I think something really bad is going to happen   
soon."  
He leaned backwards over the bed. "When, then? And what?"  
"Tonight. And I think alot of bad stuff is going to happen. It's kind of like a   
stew. Lot's of ingredents." She started pacing. "With a good recipie."  
"What is it?"  
"Hmmm?"   
"The recipe. What is it?"  
She stopped and looked him in the eye."A storm, a famous hocky team, and one   
over excited fan. Makes disaster. Serves 7."  
The lights went out.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
Wildwing threw his brother's duffle bag at the blonde lump on the couch. "C'mon,   
Dive. I leave for one minute, and them place is already pitted. At least help   
clean up."  
Nosedive grunted and picked up a few pieces of trash around the base of the   
sofa, stuffing them in his pocket, then returned to his previous position.  
Wing, seeing no other way to get his brother to help except the absolute   
drastic, grabbed the remote and switched off the TV. Nosedive yelped and sat up.  
"Hey man, I was watching that! Givit back!"  
Wing held it out of the teenager's reach. "Keep your paws off and help me clean,   
and then you can have it back. Deal?"  
Nosedive sourly stood up. "Man bro, it took a lot of work to get it this messy   
in so little time! Why ya have ta ruin it?"  
"Because, bro, it took just as much work dealing with the whats-his-face   
manager, and I think I at least deserve a clean hotel room. Don't you agree?"  
"Somebodys got a stick up their butt." Nosedive grumbled.  
Wing sat down on the bed. "Sorry."  
Nosedive picked up the last of the trash. "There. Good enough?"  
"Yeah."  
Nosedive sat down next to his brother. "What got you so up tight in the first   
place?"  
"I suppose it was that guy Fergeson." Wildwing mused. "Weird guy. Can't get a   
word in edgewise." He paused. "Ya know Dive, actually, he creeps me out."  
"Hey, me too! I thought I was the only one!" His face turned serious. "Wing, do   
you think this is serious?"  
Their lamp shut off.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Aww Sh*t." Duke grabbed for the small flashlight clipped to his belt. Before he   
could turn it on, a blue glow filled the room. Avery levitated a ball of light   
above her hand and grinned at him. He glared. "I hate it when you do that."  
She grinned even wider, then turned to the door. "The storm, most likely. Lets   
find the others."  
He followed her out into the hall, then down to Tanya's door. "Hey Tanya, you in   
there?"  
"Yeah. who is that?"  
"Duke and Avery. Just wondering if everyone was all right."  
"I'm fine. Just a sec." There was severly bumps, followed by a curse, then the   
door opened. "I'm coming."  
Avery shrugged "Fine."  
They headed down to Grin's room. Apprently, he was asleep. "Let's not bother   
him."  
A flashlight beam shone down the hall to where they were standing. Wing and   
Nosedive headed down the hall twards them.  
"Hey guys." Said nosedive cheerfully. "Nothing like a late night party, huh? Who   
brought the chips and dip?"  
"Quiet Dive." Wildwing looked at them. "Anybody got any ideas what to do now?"  
"Find the Manager."  
"Sleep in the Areowing."  
"Ignore it."  
"Have that party."  
They all glared at Nosedive. He looked innocent. "What?"  
Suddenly Tanya looked wildly around. "Hey, where's Mallory?"  
Avery cocked her head. "She's not here?"  
"No. Should we check her room? She probably just asleep."  
But she wasn't asleep. She wasn't even there. The Ducks stared in awe into her   
room.  
"Jeez......."  
It was a mess. It looked like a small bomb had blown up in there. The glass   
doors were shattered.   
"Check the room." Ordered Wing. "Look for a clue to where she is."  
Tanya headed outside, Duke went to get Grin, and the other three checked it.   
"Wing. ." Avery held up Mallory's com. Wing was about to say something, but   
Tanya rushed into the room, breathless.   
"Wildwing! The Areowing! It's gone!"  
Wildwing took a deep breath. It was going to be a long night . . . . . . .   
  



	3. Interlude

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Avery leaned up against the frame of the door, watching the meeting. The air was   
charged with electricity, both from the team's anxiousness and the storm that   
was raging outside.   
When they'd discovered Mallory missing and the room trashed, the group had taken   
the problem to the mannager, Fergeson, but he too was missing. On his desk was a   
very disturbing note to the ducks decrieing his love for Mallory, and how'd he'd   
taken her to a place in the mountains where they could be together forever.   
Great, dude. He hadn't been smart enough, luckily, to cover his tracks.When Wing   
and Tanya searched his apartment, they'd found brochers everywhere dipicting a   
waterfall not to far from there. Now, they were deciding what to do from that   
point on.  
"Some of us should stay behind, to guard in case he comes back." said Nosedive.   
Avery switched her attention to the teenager. Affection swept through her, and   
she couldn't keep a faint smile from playing across her lips. Though not   
attracted to Nosedive, the two were best buds. In fact, they were supposed to go   
check out the new thrill park in LA together.   
'Scratch that." She thought.  
"I agree." Wildwing glanced at the rest of the team. "Three here, and three go   
for Mal. Any volunteers?"  
"I should go, to transport you guys there." Remarked Avery.  
Wing nodded. "I'll go, and Dive, why don't you come with us? You'll be good   
backup."  
Nosedive gave a thumbs up. "Roger that!"  
Wildwing regarded the other three."Is that all right?"  
Duke raised his hand into the air. "Fine with me. I can watch the home front."   
Tanya and Grin agreed.   
Dive brushed a stray hair outof his face. "So when do we go?"  
"Now."  
Avery closed her eyes and mumbled an incantation. Within moments, the three had   
the consistincy of ghosts, and then faded altogether, with only a whisper left   
in the air.   
  
. . . good luck. . .   



	4. Part 3 - A

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Storm  
Part Three A  
Ivy Kassal resolutely prepared a storm kit, made up of two flashlights, bottled   
water, several cans of beets, an opener for the fore-mentioned cans, and basic   
first aid supplies. It seemed to be an unnecessary precaution (the chance of a   
blizzard tonight was very, very slim), but her motherly instincts told her it   
was better to be safe than sorry.  
Beside her, the twins babbled gleefully to their older brother over PBJ's about   
the day's may exciting adventures. The current tale of interest was of Ollie's   
daring escape from the swingset after dumping sand down Monica's dress. The   
latter, having forgiven her brother long ago, was just as enthusiastic in the   
rehashing of the story. Derek, bless him, managed not to fall asleep or do   
something else rude and teenagerish while listening. Ivy shook her head, amused,   
and turned up the radio a tad more. She was on the really lookout for a weather   
report, but the Bach being played was soothing and lovely, so she ended up   
hoping the music would be undisturbed.   
Finished with the food and water, she picked up one of the flashlights, black,   
and pressed the button. It didn't switch on. Dismayed, she turned to Derek.   
"Honey, do we have any batteries left?"  
The 15-year-old shrugged, sipping a coke, eyebrows raised quizzically. "What   
size?"  
She gestured with the light. "D's."  
"Dunno . . . maybe, but I think the midgets used them in their radio. What,   
they're dead?"  
Over the loud protest of the 'midgets', Ivy sighed, and set the metallic   
flashlight on the countertop. "Yeah. I'm going to have to go out and get some,   
we'll at least need them someday. Keep an eye on those two, all right? And an   
ear on the stereo, as well. First sign of trouble, you know what to do." He   
shrugged again in response, and she grabbed her jacket off the back of a chair.   
She wasn't actually that worried about the storm, if she was, she wouldn't have   
left her children home alone.  
Since last time she'd drove she had left the keys in her pocket, Ivy just had to   
grab an umbrella, and dash outside into the foul weather. The rain lashed the   
patio unrelentingly, collecting into shining, violent puddles. The furious wind   
drove it into sheets, getting the woman completely soaked. The umbrella was like   
a sad, sad joke, and the car a welcome shelter, even if it did smell vaguely of   
Happy Meals. She cursed the sky, started the car, and pulled out of the   
driveway. The radio, too, was flipped on, allowing some horrible pop music   
invade the small space. She quickly changed the channel.  
Ivy really despised driving in the rain. Especially at night, when she had to go   
long ways. Normally, the trip would have only been two blocks long, to get to   
the grocery up the road, but the owner hated not just driving in it, but rain   
itself. Sheri Sideow had closed up shop around five that evening, when the first   
reports of a storm were announced on the radio. Consequentially, that meant Ivy   
had to ride all the way across town (though, with the size of this town, it   
wasn't that far) to get the prized batteries at K-Mart.   
The road was a black river of water, and she had to slow at every   
intersection/lake. Like most people in her mountain town, she had four-wheel   
drive, but she almost got stuck at least twice.  
'One hell of a storm." she thought bitterly. 'One hell of a storm.'  
* * * * *  
He raised a hand, blocking out the icy water that poured down in unrelenting   
sheets, muttering nastily as it smacked the concrete parking lot, whispering as   
it whipped the leaves of the trees. Duke didn't know why he even bothered,   
trying to keep it out of his eye, he was soaked to the bone, ponytail matted to   
the back of his gray neck. Lightning stung the clouds above, and illuminated his   
form as he searched the impenetrable black. The duck didn't know what he was   
searching for, really. A sign of his friends, having fixed the problem with all   
the ease of breaking through a primitive security system, maybe. Perhaps for   
Ferguson, returning with Mallory.  
The thought of that tiny man trying to carry a bound, gagged, and enraged Mal of   
his shoulder lent Duke a chuckle, and he gave in, needing a bit of humor to   
relieve the tension. Stars, this *waiting*. He was going to kill himself.  
The lights flickered back on, illuminating the room behind him, the broken glass   
of the doors, and the small patio Duke stood on. The power outage had been no   
accident. Ferguson had, apparently, cut several wires in the fuse box clean   
through. As was evidenced by Tanya's previous loud, angry cursing. Grin was with   
her, even though she'd been reluctant (the incident with the bellerium crystals   
on Draggy's ship was still crisp in her memory, no doubt).  
Duke returned inside, going into the bathroom and getting one of the clean   
towels out of the closet, and drying himself off. He had dry clothes in his   
room, but were reluctant to get them. Who knows when he might have to go chasing   
after that squirt-of-a-madman.  
An amazing peal of thunder outside made him frown. He hoped the storm was over   
soon. He didn't want the other group hampered by the bad weather. It was going   
to be really nasty wandering around the mountains like this.  
Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he jumped a little bit.  
"Relax." It was Tanya, and she offered him a cup of brown liquid. "We now have   
some, uh, coffee. Take it."  
Joy!   
* * * * *  
Joy!  
Ivy snatched up the pack of batteries, practically glowing with pleasure. This   
was the fourth store she'd visited, and the only one that had any left. Seems   
most of the town had the same idea as she did. Prepare for the worst.   
She brought the pack of Duracells to the counter, and grabbed a couple Snickers   
for the kids and herself. There was a line of 4 ahead of her, impatient people   
wanting to get home before the roads were completely unaccesable. She recognized   
one, Conrad Nanaki, his kid was in Derek's class. He was buying a economy pack   
of toilet paper.  
Something by the doors grabbed her attention. Sheriff Murrow, a kind man of 34,   
was taking turns speaking rapidly into a walkie-talkie and the Mayor of their   
town, Daniel Perry, a good friend of the family. Murrow's usually bright,   
friendly brown eyes were clouded with worry, and Daniel didn't look much better.   
They were both talking rapidly, and gesticulating towards the sky out of the   
glass doors. Ivy strained over the hurly-burly around her to hear what they were   
saying.  
"How can that be? We don't *get* them up here!"  
"I know Dan, I know, but-" A sour looking woman with a screaming baby lumbered   
past, obscuring her eavesdropping. "-once in a lifetime thing. "  
"Do we even have preparations for something like this?"  
"Yeah, *we* do. But the people don't-"  
"Ma'am!" Ivy blinked, and found herself at the front of the line. The cashier   
and several angry customers were staring. The slim woman blushed.  
"Er . . . I'm sorry, what?"  
"I asked if you have a Kroger card?"  
"Oh. Uh . . . yeah." She dug through her wallet and handed over the thin piece   
of plastic, handing it to the disgruntled employee. When she looked back up   
again, Dan and the sheriff were gone.  
* * * * *  
Victor Murrow wiped the sweat of his brow with his sleeve. He was not a anxious   
man by nature. He'd never been. Attractive, intelligent, he had an air that   
encouraged respect. And even as sheriff, he'd never had a violent crime in his   
jurisdiction, which also included the other 3 tiny mountain towns in the area.   
People often underestimated Murrow; he looked young, with boyish freckles and a   
lanky, adolescent frame. Usually, his eyes shone with a childish, mischievous   
sparkle.  
No, He wasn't an anxious man naturally. But this wasn't a natural situation, and   
he felt his sweaty hand tremble as he punched in the meteorologists office,   
almost missing the correct numbers. Damn it, stuff like this wasn't supposed to   
happen! Not here. Not in the goddamn mountains! The town was fitted with an   
alarm, luckily, but that was just a stupid precaution since they were just on   
the edges of the Rockies. Kansas. That was the place for these things. Goddamned   
weathermen probably read their stupid radars wrong. Yeah, that's it.   
The phone rang once, twice, again. Cursing nervously, Murrow wiped at his   
forehead again, skin cold. Pick up, pick up, dammit.  
"Hello?"   
"Krum?" Victor had called the personal office of Noah Krum, a arrogant   
sonuvabitch who seemed to think he was destined to rule the world. The sheriff   
hated his guts with a passion, but he had to (grudgingly) admit the man knew his   
weather. "Sheriff Murrow, here. You have confirmation?" Please no, please no,   
please no--   
"Yeah. They're heading right your way, sheriff. I'd advise setting of that siren   
right now." His voice, nasal even in normal circumstances, was made worse the   
static on the line.  
Murrow felt like crying. "How many? How powerful? And how much time do we have?"  
"Looks like three are defiantly going to hit that area, maybe more. Strongest is   
an F3. Moderate size. And you've got 15 minutes. No, 11 now."   
The blonde sheriff cursed loudly, then hung up with a quick goodbye, the phone   
barely brushing the cradle before it was to his ear again and ringing for city   
hall.   
* * * * *   
The wailing stretched across the town, bouncing off puddles, screaming through   
houses and echoing in ears. Even the storm seemed to stop for the sound, making   
the town quiet, still, making everything wait in fearful anticipation, all while   
the eerie noise floated through like a shockwave. It broke the silence,   
shattered it into tiny shards of confusion and anxiety. The town didn't move,   
didn't make a sound. Didn't dare, for fear the cacophony would turn back on them   
and usher in things unthinkable.   
It was a foreign noise. It didn't belong in the picturesque mountain village.   
The residents would not believe what it heralded, some out of ignorance, some   
out of terror. They continued not to believe, even as the wind began to pick up   
again, the rain began to fall again, and hail pattered sinisterly upon the roofs   
of the town's houses.  
And still, the sirens keened on.  
*****  
Ivy 's heart leapt into her throat, bashing itself painfully against flesh and   
bone. She knew what that shrieking meant.   
*****  
The valley's strange visitors did not  



End file.
